Consequences of Water Damage in Office Buildings

What Are the Causes of Office Water Damage and What Are the Consequences?

Office buildings are no strangers to water damage, but often times people feel they are. When individuals go to work, typically no one thinks about potential water damage. This can leave water leaks and intrusions unnoticed, which can result in costly water damage. After a flood, your tenants who run the offices can suffer substantial losses to equipment, furniture, records, and even a loss of income from downtime in operations. Any of these can severely impact the company’s finances by creating a time-consuming restoration or work stoppage. 

As the office manager, it is imperative to understand the costs associated with office water damage restoration. Mitigation will affect a company’s finances, and the office buildings will require water extraction, cleanup, and renovation of the water-damaged building. The costs of these services can vary depending on the status and quality of the insurance that covers the property. The fees will solely be the property owner’s burden if the office is not covered under an insurance policy.

But there are far more consequences to this situation than just financial ones. Office water damage can lead to poor indoor air quality and mold growth. Water damage, especially if left unnoticed, have been linked to detrimental effects on the health and well-being of employees. Studies show that employees subjected to poor air quality are two to three times more likely to develop respiratory issues. 

Tips to Prevent Costly Commercial Office Water Damage 

The most effective way to avoid costly water damage is to invest time into preventative measures for the office building before any water disaster strikes. Since water damage can come from various sources, it’s essential to have the building regularly inspected to prevent leaks and related issues.

One way to prevent office water damage is to create a system to monitor floods. No matter the location of your office building, having a flood warning system in place can be imperative to predicting floods. Causes for floods can vary from internal plumbing failures to overflowing rivers to melting snow. 

Also, most property insurance policies do not include coverage for flooding. Flood coverage is a specific and separate type of insurance, usually sold through FEMA. Water damage restoration can be costly without coverage plans. Ensure that your insurance policy adequately covers your commercial property, or that you have multiple policies if needed. Water damage insurance providers can deal with the costs if your property gets damaged by a flood in the future.

In the long run, the measures to prevent water damage are considerably less expensive than those to restore water damage after an incident has occurred. Have a professional inspect your office at least on an annual basis. The inspector should be looking for signs of leaks or other symptoms that predict water damage. They can perform leak detection in several ways, such as monitoring humidity and using spot sensors.

A final step you can take is to perform regular maintenance on the facility to ensure optimal condition. As the manager of a commercial office building, consider creating a preventative maintenance schedule to ensure the property is safe and secure. Inspect different parts of a commercial building at different intervals. Check the doors, windows, and gates for signs of wear. Furthermore, recoating the roof every five years can help prevent damage.

Contact Puroclean for Commercial Office Water Damage Restoration Services

The professional restoration experts at PuroClean help commercial property managers whenever office water damage strikes. Water damage from any leak is an issue best solved by professionals, so call your local PuroClean experts at 732-366-9300 whenever disaster strikes. We know damage doesn’t wait for anyone, so we are here to help 24/7.